6 Minute English - 42 languages

Where did you learn speaking Chinese?

At University, thought, I must say, I am a bit rusty now.

Rusty? you look ok. But what you really mean it? You are not as fluent as you were before.

That's right.

Learning and practicing languages require effort. But the children of school in London we are going to hearing about today had no choice. They are from different countries, no less than 42 languages are spoken in the background.

It's incredible. In the background, there is a area, in the school yard where children play during their break, between their lessons, they speak 42 different languages. Wo.

Of course, they all have to learn English because they live here. But more of that in the moment. First, has the tradition goes, I'm going to show you the question fin.

Mm, ok, I am ready.

Which country has the most effectual languages? is it (a) India (b) Nigeria (c) South Africa.

Good question. I would say India or Nigeria. Let's say Nigeria.

Ok, I will review the answer at the end of the programme. So let's talk about buying court, a school with 60000 in north west London. The school gets high mars for integration.

Mar, so here you mean scores in tests or exams. They get high mars integration. Integration means bring people together as they have from people all over the world.

Yes, they come from places as far apart as Iraq, Sxxxx, India, Romania and VXXXX. Many are children of immigrants and refugees.

So how difficult is it for this children to learn english?

Well, let's listen to these people from Bxxx court. Where did you learn the first word in English.

When I was two years old, I went to nursery and I learned a bit stuff. When I came here, I go to learn XXX English.

She says she began to learn English at nursery. That a place with very young children are look after what their parents at work.


BXXXX court had teacher, the person in charge of school, believes children feel integrated because she drive the celebrate all different cultures and avoiding adjusting one culture is better than another.

It all sounds very nice, Rob. I want to know what happen in the classroom. I mean many people are learning basic words in English while at the same time, study things like science and math also in English. So quite a challenge.

Is it indeed a big problem. So does it lower educational standards, as those knowledge and skills students should have at particular level.

Yes, it does. But not for long, says Martin XXX, educational officer at British counsel. That is the area where the school is located. Listen out for the verp which means testing children performance.

In Brams, our children perform just below national average when they access at 7 years old. But by the time nearly 11, they caught up national standard and at 16 they are flying.

He says they are accessed, which means testing at giving score when they are 7 years old. At that time, they have worse result than children in other British school. But by the time they celebrate there at 11 birthday, it caught up. They become equal with people at their average out there in the country.

And by 16, they are flying, which is a nice way to describe these children's progress. It's good for them because they end up as  bi-language adults, speaking two languages fluently.

So their efforts pay off. At XXXX, people concern more about people who are native speaker in English. Parents worried about their children not learning notch.

Maybe the best thing is for everybody trying to learn second language. What a bad thing in this small world.

Talking about learning language, I want to know if I get the answer to your question right. Then the question is about the country with the most official languages.

Yes, the opinions I put to you are India, Niagara and South Africa. And I said Naigaria, maybe I think India now, I change my mind.

You can't it be wrong because it still be wrong. The country with the most official languages is South Africa. 11 languages. Interestingly, India has 18 languages they recognized by constitution and can't be considered as official.  However, the difference is each language is recognized as official language of certain area, such as XXX for example.

It's kind of right in a different way.